MANILA — Filipino sprinter Pi Durden Wangkay shattered two national age-group records en route to a bronze medal in the men’s 200-meter final of the 2026 Dakar Youth Olympic Games on Tuesday (Wednesday in the Philippines), giving the country its second podium finish in Senegal.
Wangkay clocked a personal-best 21.36 seconds to finish third behind gold medalist Ropafadzo Mizondo of Zimbabwe and silver medalist Deuquan Farrell of Guyana in a tightly contested final.
The Filipino sprinter’s performance erased his own Philippine under-18 and under-20 records of 21.40 seconds, which he established during the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association (PATAFA) Weekly Relays in Pasig City on October 25.
Despite his record-breaking performance, Wangkay admitted he had not expected to reach the podium against a competitive international field.
“Never,” he said when asked if he anticipated a medal finish.
Wangkay also revealed that running from lane nine posed an additional challenge, as he had limited visibility of his competitors throughout the race.
“So, I was running blind. Never po ako naging used to blind pero… I had to do what I do best which is to always move forward,” Wangkay said.
His bronze followed Naomi Marjorie Cesar’s silver-medal performance in the women’s 800-meter final a day earlier, raising the Philippines’ medal tally at the Dakar Games to two./PN
